Tips for installing a Supertec drywall

Drywall installation is not difficult to do, and with a little guidance and practice, you’ll be able to successfully divide rooms and offices as you please. The most trying part of drywall installation is the finishing of the joints (also known as “taping and mudding”). This is what separates the men from the boys in a sense, because if you rush the joints it will show in the end result. So, here are some suggestions for simplifying the finishing process and achieving a professional finish!
Keep butt joints to a minimum. The long edge of a drywall sheet is tapered. This provides space for the tape and joint compound that are used to seal the joint. The short edge of a drywall sheet, however, is not tapered. Where these two edges meet, we call a butt joint. Butt joints are the most challenging to finish; the tape and compound tend to create a small, visible bump in the end result be it a wall or ceiling.
Although not always possible to avoid butt joints, one can keep the number of them to a minimum. Installing drywall horizontally and using longer sheets of drywall in your application is one way to achieve desirable results. If you stagger these butt joints so that they don’t run from the top to the bottom of the wall then you can achieve visually acceptable finishes.
Use bigger sheets. Using longer sheets of drywall will reduce the number of butt joints on a wall quite significantly, as well as the total number of butt joints. For example, if you were looking at installing a wall that was 7m, you would only need three sheets of 2400mm drywall or only two sheets of 3,600mm drywall. In using the 3,600mm sheets, you would end up with only one vertical butt joint, whereas if you used the 2400mm panels you would end up with two butt joints. By using the longer panels you can also complete your project in a lot shorter time frame.

SUPERTEC supplies the following sizes:

Widths

1000mm

1200mm

Lengths

2400mm

2700mm

3000mm

3600mm

Thicknesses

6.4mm

7mm

8mm

9mm

12mm

Install horizontally. As a general rule when it comes to dry walling, install drywall horizontally, this will save you time and hassle; that is, with the long edge perpendicular to the studs. This also results in a stronger wall, and more often than not you will contend with fewer joints to finish, especially in the case when using longer sheets.
For walls higher than 8 feet, consider using the widest sheets of drywall to minimize the joints. And on walls that are not as wide, hang the drywall vertically to eliminate a joint.